New Ioma Counter

 Beauty Blogger, Event Coverage, Face, facial cleanser, HoustonFashionBloggers, Ioma, Saks, skin care  No Responses »
Mar 112013
 

I had the opportunity to visit the brand new Ioma counter inside Saks in the Houston Galleria Mall a few days ago. I’d never heard of the brand, however they’re really big overseas. The company started in 2000 and was soley geared towards dermatology. In 2009, they branched out into cosmetics. This counter is actually the 4th to open in the U.S. Ioma is exclusive to Saks.

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20130311-233339.jpgThe name Ioma is A moi backwards or if you looked at it through a mirror which means it’s mine. We should be able to look at our reflection in the mirror and feel proud to say that’s my beautiful skin. :-)

When I got to the counter, I was expecting a rep to show me a couple of products and maybe a quick demo, give me some general info about the company, and that was all. Boy was I wrong. I received a thorough skin assessment, background information on the company, and a wonderful facial! Ioma is unlike any other cosmetic company I know.

2013-03-07 17.23.59Above is the Ioma Beauty Diag machine
BeautyByLeRenda sitting at IOMA

I had the chance to meet with Ioma’s global trainer manager, Audrey, who came from Paris to train the staff here in Saks at the Galleria. She gave me historical info on the brand and explained to me how Ioma identifies 7 different skin concerns that have products assigned to address them.

  1. Dry Skin
  2. Fine Lines
  3. Wrinkles and Lack of Firmness
  4. Diffuse Redness
  5. Bacterial Infections
  6. Oily Skin
  7. Dark Spots

According to Iomaparisusa.com, there are 8748 possible combinations that can be made to the specific skin concerns of their clients. Wow!!!

Kathy, the regional coordinator, described Ioma as “High Technology meets dermatology and cosmetics”. I would absolutely agree with this description.

For my demo, we began with a summary of the company. Then she used the Beauty Diag to accurately determine my skin type. She also asked me about my skin and the concerns I have. Now, if you know me or have followed my blog for a length of time, you already know that my major concern is oiliness. We went through the assessment anyway.

2013-03-07 17.20.17Here is Jessica, Saks Ioma worker, using the Beauty Diag for my “before” assessment.

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Very surprisingly, it turns out that my skin is dehydrated and actually a lot more dry than oily. Under the oily section, the Beauty Diag showed my skin to be normal. Who Knew???

After finding out my skin concerns, I received a list of recommended products to address those concerns. Instead of the workers just giving me the list and sending me home, I got to go to the very posh spa area of Saks and received a facial with Ioma products to help my problem areas.

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While Audrey performed my facial, the ladies working at the counter sat in to observe. Afterwards, we all returned to the counter to see the progress.

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Here we are together. The fact that I’m standing tall and proud without any makeup in the Galleria says a lot!! There was definitely an immediate change in my skin. As a result of the facial, my skin was smoother and a bit brighter due to getting rid of the excess dead skin cells. For the record, I wear makeup everyday and I especially try to look nice when I’m in the Galleria because you never know who you might run into. I was very comfortable in my skin ( I know that’s such a cliche’ but it was true).

Since Audrey and Jessica used the Beauty Diag to assess my skin, I didn’t experience the Iomasphere. It’s really not necessary to do both. The Beauty Diag provides a microscopic view of your skin and is more detailed. The Iomasphere provides a macroscopic view by using a camera. I was still curious how it worked, so the trainer and Jessica showed me how it’s used.

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This is the scanner that is connected to both machines. It prints out your results as well as product recommendations. You can also pick up a product and scan it to find out what it’s used for. Pretty cool. :-) Ioma uses cloud technology to store the database for clients’ info. This is nice because if I go to New York and can’t remember what products were recommended to me, they will have all of my info. :-)
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Okay, so if you read this entire post, you should have gathered by now that I’m very impressed with this company and I’d definitely recommend it. I love the fact that you have so many options to address multiple needs of your skin. Prices range from $60-200 which is very reasonable considering the advanced technology used to individualize your skin concerns to the products.

 

 

Do You Only Use One Cosmetic Brand?

 make-up, Makeup Application, Makeup rules  No Responses »
Dec 012011
 

There’s a difference between being a loyal customer and an exclusive customer.  I would describe myself as the latter.  I experiment with a lot of brands to stay up to date on technology and trends.  There are certainly brands that I prefer over others in which I’d say I am a loyal customer.  However, I am definitely not exclusive to any of them.

I have yet to find one company in which the entire brand works perfectly for me or my clients.  For this reason, I mix and match based on my needs and the needs of my clients.  With this being said, this doesn’t mean that it’s bad for you to be exclusive to one brand as a customer.  If you truly feel as though one particular brands makes everything you need, why change?

A make up artist has a responsibility to engage in continued education and to have an eclectic collection of products in his or her kit.   I would not recommend exclusivity for a freelance make up artist.  Due to him or her having to work with different skin types, tones, and textures, it is mandatory for you to be versatile.

So what are your thoughts on the difference between being exclusive and loyal?

Dr. Denese Cosmetics

 Dr. Denese, expensive products, eye creams, moisturizers, Oily Skin, Oily Skin woes, skin care, Tinted Moisturizer  2 Responses »
Nov 092011
 

What’s the one moisturizer I can count on that has a high SPF and helps me keep a matte finish?  It’s Dr. Denese SPF 30 Defense Day Cream!!

It comes in two sizes 1.5oz retails for $34 and the 4oz retails for $75.  Now I know this sounds super expense however, it’s totally worth the money.  You only need a small amount so this product will last you a very long time.  My mom introduced this product to me last spring and I promise you the 4oz lasted me til this spring.  This is the amount that I usually squeeze out. 
On the left was my initial squeeze.  On the right is where I rubbed it a bit just so you can see how it spreads out.
She ordered a special value package off of QVC and it came with an eye moisturizer that doesn’t appear to be available anymore because I didn’t see it on the website. :-(
It looks like this 
I guess it was limited edition or made specifically for QVC.  Not sure if you can tell from the reflection of my flash, but there’s STILL product in here.  I’ve been using it for about a year and a half now. 
Don’t be deceived by the name. I’ll admit that I was at first.  I tend to stay away from any product that says it’s a cream.  In my mind I’m already thinking this is not meant for my skin type and I’ll be a greasy mess in 30min.  Well I’m not sure what magic Dr. Denese uses, but whatever it is causes this Day Cream to dry down to a perfect matte finish.  The product does have a bit of a tint that’s supposed to blend with your skin.  I honestly don’t feel it blends with all skin tones.  If I put on too much, it’ll show up as too light.   It does NOT provide coverage so I don’t see it as a Tinted Moisturizer, it’s just that the product has a color to it.  (Hopefully that made sense. Ha ha!) As long as I don’t use more than I showed you in the picture above, I’m fine.  This product works even better for me than M.A.C. Oil Control Lotion and most importantly, it has a SPF of 30.  That’s higher than any other moisturizers that I’ve ever used.  
In conclusion, I can honestly say that I love this brand so far.  I’ve only tried one other moisturizer which is the Hydroshield Hydrating Dream Cream. 
It retails for $43.50 for a 3.4 oz.
 I like it and it does have the gel consistency that I prefer but since it doesn’t have an SPF and doesn’t have the matte finish, I don’t use it as much.  I’ll use it sometimes at night, but I use it sparingly since I already have other moisturizers that I use at night and due to the price I don’t want to have to buy more right now. :-)